This invention relates to a clamp for elongated objects, which comprises a gripper unit for holding elongated objects such as pipe or wire harnesses, and a securing unit for attachment to a support such as a body panel, configured such that the elongated object is held in the gripper unit, the securing unit is attached to the support, and, thereby, the elongated object is attached to the support.
Clamps for elongated objects are known which comprise a gripper unit for holding elongated objects such as pipe or wire harnesses and a securing unit for attachment to a support such as a body panel. The elongated object is held in the gripper unit, and the securing unit is attached to the support, whereby the elongated object is attached to the support. When an elongated object such as a pipe is held on a support such as a body panel, it is desirable that the transmission of vibration from the pipe to the body panel be prevented, or, alternatively, that the transmission of vibration opposite thereto be prevented. The vibration prevention means most frequently used is elastic soft material such as rubber, which is attached to the bottom surface or the like of the gripper unit receiving the pipe or the like for reducing the transmission of vibration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,683 issued Dec. 31, 1996 discloses a clamp for pipe which does not use an elastic soft material layer. This clamp uses a vibration absorbing unit arranged between a gripper unit and a securing unit for reducing the transmission of vibration between the gripper unit and the securing unit. In this clamp, the vibration absorbing unit comprises a flexible bridge including a pair of curved arms.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H9-126357/1997 (gazette publication) also discloses an elongated-object clamp which does not use an elastic soft material layer. In this clamp, multiple bendable curved holding pieces of a gripper unit are erected from a bottom surface portion which supports an elongated object such as a pipe, to reduce the transmission of vibration between the elongated object and the gripper unit. Three spiraling coupling plates are arranged between a base for supporting the gripper unit and a securing unit for attachment to a stud on a panel, thereby reducing the transmission of vibration between the securing unit and the gripper unit.
When an elastic soft material layer is used as the vibration absorbing mechanism, in order to secure the elastic soft material layer to the gripper unit the number of manufacturing dies increases as compared to when no elastic soft material layer is used; the cost of the finished product increases, and the number of assembly steps increases. The clamps for pipe and the like in the above-described prior art are provided with a different mechanism for absorbing the transmission of vibration between an elongated object such as pipe and a support such as a body panel.
With the vibration absorbing mechanism in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent, the curved arms between the gripper unit and the securing unit contribute to the absorption of vibration in the circumferential direction relative to the pipe, but are not suitable for absorbing vibration in directions other than the circumferential direction relative to the pipe (e.g., pipe axial direction). If the curved arms are damaged, there is a danger of the pipe falling away from the support.
With the vibration absorbing mechanism in the above-mentioned Japanese application, the bendable curved holding pieces are complexly erected from the bottom surface of the gripper unit; the manufacturing dies become complex; and finished product costs are increased. Also, the three spiraling coupling plates provided in the vibration absorbing mechanism between the securing unit attached to a stud on a panel and the base supporting the gripper unit, further complicate the dies, and finished product costs are increased. Furthermore, when those vibration absorbing mechanisms are damaged, there is a danger of the pipe falling away from the clamp.